Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-07-29
FRIDAY. JULY go, 1887.
That Grand Jury Report.

Too frequently men called together
by our courts to act in the capacity of
grand jurymen do their work in 50
perfunctory and slipshod manner as
to make the whole business little more
than a farce. This cannot be said of
the citizens called to act in these func-
fions by the courts of Los Angeles
county during the past two years.
They have done their duty in thor
ough, painstaking and fearless way,
which will not fail to commend itself
to all good citizens in the community.
The preamble to the report of the last
grand jury, which appeared in the col
umns of the HERALD yesterday morn
ing, sets forth in lucid language the
duties imposed on such bodies. To
the following words one wants to cry
aloud, Hear! Hear!
"The Grand Jury called by your or
der, July IL, 1887, have carefully lis
tened to your charge and after due
and careful investigation, and with
malice toward none, have seen the
path of their plain duty before them
and entered upon it with deliberation
and pursued it without passion and
without faltering. Foreseeing how
much unfitness must be exposed, they
drew the lines with care, and have en-
deayored not too overstep them in any
case or under any provocation. Such
of any mans acts concerning his fit
ness for public trust are only alluded
to in our annexed report, which We
hereby submit. Accountability in all
things is the true basis on which to
perform public service. We insist
that the same degree OF care is requi-
site in the performance OF public du-
ties as in private. When public ofti-
GERS assume that there is no one in
particular to whom they are RESPONSE
Bile; that neglect and carelessness will
he overlooked, and that if they COM
init no glaring criminal act they will
not be called to account, the public
service is sure to become demoralized !;
while, on the contrary, the knowledge
that every civil officer, from the high
est to the lowest. will be held to the
strictest responsibility for all his Off
cial acts tends to secure the highest ef-
ficiency and faithfulness.
The public officials come in for a
good deal of animadversion at the
hands of the Grand Jury. The irreg-
ularities discovered in the methods of
these derelict office-holders may have
been, as they claim, the result of
ignorance and not of willful malfeas-
ance in office. This does not make it
any less the duty of the Grand Jury
to report that they find the books of
these gentlemen in
''Most admired disorder"
N the case Of the Public Admins
traitor it NAV be recalled that some
ears ago, when he was School Trustee
at Downey City and acted as Secre-
tary of the Board, his books
are currently reported to have
been kept in the same state Of mex
tricable confusion. Ii we mistake not
that lack of knowledge of law and
bookkeeping cost the district some
$1,000 of its fund, and we do not re-
member ever to have seen any satis-
isfactory explanation from Mr.. Decker
or any of his friends, as to just what
became of that money. Clean and
regular bookkeeping is prime factor
ain the administration of any public
trust, and the official who does not
know the laws relating to his duty
had better learn them with all possi-
BILE promptness. II he is too ignorant
to comprehend the law or the rules of
business. he is not qualified for the
office, and should remedy the defect
in the only possible way-by resign
ing.
As to the Auditor, the statement of
the Grand Jury that had Mr.. Montafio
done his duty in the case of III Ham,
mond, the defaulting Tax Collector,
one-third of the deficit might have
been saved the county is quite
sufficient. The Auditor holds
the key to all the offices, and
lack of care on his part may prove
fatal to the interests of the county.
Mr.. Montaiio pleads the onerous du-
ties of his Office as an excuse. With
this the Grand Jury has nothing to
do. That is not within the purvey OF
its functions. There is this to be said,
that had Mr.. Monta1o's Democratic
opponent been elected to the office,
Mr.. Preuss would have clean books to
show.
And in this connection it certai ly
il a matter of note that of the Demo-
cratic county officers not one of them
is found derelict in his duty to the
slightest degree. More than this, the
Grand Jury speaks with special en-
phasis Of the perfect method found to
obtain in the offices Of several Of these
nsntlemen. Notably in the Sherifs
nlkce, where Mr.. Kays and his depu-
- exhibit clean bill Of health,